About the novel and graphic work.

The novel is very complex and lyrical, difficult to perceive and yet easy to read. It is awful and with careless simplicity at the same time. It is a philosophical look at the Chechen war, a glance from the heavens, based on documentary materials by the journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

The Game of the Heavens does not resemble any other works by Oleg Prihodko. Filled with deep psychological struggle, the plot is based on elaborate characters and their destinies that develop into tragic apotheosis. The difficult journey of the protagonist Verka (a frivolous stripper from Moscow who departs for Chechnya to look for her disappeared son) becomes her trip to Hell’s “five rivers” of cruel and vicious war, her real Revelation. Her journey’s purifying effect elevates the mind and influences the reader’s perception. After having read the story, you will long to hear the sacred sounds of Adagio, striking down from the sky.

Illustrations: 4 full-page illustrations, 7 headpieces, title, cover and ending.

About Oleg Prihodko (b. 1954) – a novelist and screenwriter.

Prihodko has written books that were published in prestigious series Black Cat and Russian bestseller of the publishing house Eksmo (Moscow). His novels earned him a reputation among fans of the detective-adventure genre: Alone in a Strange Space, A Handful of Bullets and a Little Luck, The Punisher, Hard Version, etc. Such bestsellers as Alone in a Strange Space, A Handful of Bullets and a Little Luck, Requiem for a Witness, and Werewolf were reprinted in Russia and abroad, and awarded literary prizes such as "The best novel of the year" and "For contribution to Russian literature". Most of the works were screened, such as Women's Work is a Risk to Life, Psychopath, Everyone Must Die, and Mim Bim or Someone Else’s Life. The movie Collapse about the disaster at Chernobyl, filmed based on Oleg Prihodko’s screenwriting, has been awarded 26 international awards, among which was the Gold Medal of the Senate at the IFF in Venice in 1990.